


Unlocked Memories

by TheRechercheRambler



Category: Shovel Knight
Genre: Gen, I can't wait for the DLC to be released and make all of this wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-07-18
Packaged: 2018-07-24 17:35:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7517249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRechercheRambler/pseuds/TheRechercheRambler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hypothetical look at Specter Knight's past, and the significance of a certain locket.</p>
<p>Written to tide myself over while waiting for the DLC to come out</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unlocked Memories

Sometimes he wondered at how little dying had changed him.

In his long-gone life, he had been a knight tied to no order or liege-lord, a fearsome warrior who fought when he saw fit. His reputation for ruthlessness had been only slightly enhanced after being granted undeath. Back then, he had still fought with a scythe, still worn the golden armor they'd buried him in, and still possessed no mean skill in magic.

He had still been known as Specter Knight.

It hadn't been because of the necromancy, as he hadn't started dabbling in that art until after his death. Neither was it a title he had chosen for himself- he didn't try _that_ hard to look cool. No, his title had been bestowed upon him by his foes, the few who had faced him on the battlefield and lived to tell the tale. For with his magical prowess Specter Knight had fashioned an enchanted trinket that in distant future days would be regarded as a relic of great power- a locket that made him intangible.

Already quite talented at wielding his scythe, the Phase Locket gave Specter Knight an edge over his enemies that in combat made him nigh invincible, if he had enough magic to use it liberally. His tendency to frequently become incorporeal made him seem more like a phantasm than a living man in his opponent's eyes. Attempting to steal it was one of the fastest ways to incur his wrath, but not for the reasons most assumed.

Before enchanting it, the Phase Locket had been a regular locket, a lump of brass remarkable only for the pictures protected within. There were multiple thin plates of metal inside of it, and inside each one was a tiny portrait. His parents, his siblings, their children… everyone who he held most dear. Whenever he used the Phase Locket to get the upper hand, it almost felt as if they were giving him strength.

That was one thing, at least, that had changed after he died. He no longer had anything to fear from combat, for while his body could be destroyed he would always be restored so long as the Enchantress's magic was upon him. The Phase Locket was no longer of use to him in a fight, and Specter Knight began to fear that it might be damaged if he continued to wear it in battle in spite of that, especially considering how his ability to weather what would have been crippling blows might make him reckless in time.

Deep in the heart of the Lich Yard there were only apparitions and revenants, and they were all under his dominion, but Specter Knight knew that someday mortals were bound to invade in an attempt to oust him. So, he locked it in a chest, sealed it in a walled-up room, raised skeletal guards to protect it, and thereby hid it away from the dangers of the world.

Hidden, but not forgotten. Specter Knight went down to the [sealed] room frequently, take the Phase Locket from its resting place, and look once more on the faded faces it held. The Enchantress had not permitted him to seek them out, and even if she had he would not go. He didn't know how long it had been since he'd last walked the face of the Earth, and it was entirely possible that one by one the passing years had claimed them all.

But if they had not…

By the time he began to wonder if just maybe they were still alive, he would snap the locket shut, return it to its chest, and lock it up. Giving into temptation and following that line of thought would do no one good. In all likelihood, they would not be pleased to see what he had become. The best he could hope for, if they still dwelt in the valley, was that they hadn't associated the deathly terror of the Lich Yard with the knight he'd been in life.

This routine went on for days, weeks, months, until his domain was trespassed- and he, Specter Knight was _defeated!_ \- by not one but two mortals. Losing to that corvid craven was aggravating enough, but it was the battle with Shovel Knight that truly disturbed him. Specter Knight swore that several attacks, rather than connecting with the trespasser, went right through him. In the thick of things it was difficult to descry anything with certainty; he didn't catch sight of the Phase Locket, but the undead warrior could think of no other explanation.

As soon as he was recovered enough to do so Specter Knight rushed to the secret chamber. To his dismay he saw that the entrance had been utterly destroyed, blown or smashed apart by some great force. Inside the hidden room itself were the widely-scattered remains of the three Boneclang guards. The chest, however, was still intact. With growing dread Specter Knight tried to lift the lid, hoping that somehow it would still be locked. He found he was able to open it effortlessly, and saw that the lock had been damaged beyond repair- how, he could not say.

The chest was empty.

Specter Knight clenched his fist, enraged. With his magic he lifted up the useless object, then hacked it to pieces with his scythe.

Either one of them, Plague Knight or Shovel Knight, could have dealt the damage he'd seen and committed the theft. Specter Knight didn't particularly care who had actually done it; as far as he was concerned, they were both equally guilty.

Someone was going to pay.

**Author's Note:**

> Since the first two campaigns both revolved around romance, I thought this might be a cool way to explain the locket's importance to Specter without making it about a love interest. Hope you enjoyed it!


End file.
